It’s springtime – kids and pets are out, and so are the ticks!

Ahh, spring. Following a long and cold winter, people and pets are anxious to venture outdoors and take advantage of the higher sun angle and warmer temperatures. While enjoying your outdoor venue, it’s important to be vigilant when spending time in proximity to tick habitat. Adult female deer ticks, often located near the wooded perimeter of your property, are questing - looking to attach to unsuspecting hosts, including children, pets and you! Their anxious to acquire their third and final blood meal.
It’s a fact that children ages 5-14 have the highest incidence of Lyme disease nationwide. And don’t forget about your pets - companion animals are sentinels for ticks as well. Remember, if pets are picking up ticks, humans are more likely to encounter them as well. Not only are ticks disgusting, but also a serious health threat as well. Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are either endemic (established) or emerging in many parts of the United States and Canada.
Although the Northeast and upper Midwest are hotbeds for Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative disease agent for tick-transmitted Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and other pathogens are also prevalent in a growing number of states in the U.S.
What to do?